Chapter 3: The First Drill
After every recruit had completed their bloodline awakening—all beginning at Rank F, Level 1 as mandated by the universal system—Captain Valern introduced them to their first phase of training. The bloodline serum had activated their Energy Cores and begun the Formation stage, but raw awakening meant nothing without discipline.
"Your first trial is endurance," the captain announced, his voice cutting through the morning air. "A ten-mile circuit around the base perimeter. Your Energy Cores are newly formed, your Blood Resonance is still developing. Initial Conditioning begins now. Move!"
The pack of new soldiers set off at a grueling pace across the unforgiving terrain surrounding Velgrath base. Ramon pushed himself hard, but something felt wrong. While other recruits seemed to be accessing their awakened bloodline energy pathways, his felt... blocked. Stagnant. One by one, other recruits pulled ahead until he found himself trailing at the very back of the group.
Marte, whose Augmented manifestation was already beginning to show enhanced muscle definition, made sure everyone noticed Ramon's struggle.
"Look at the orphan boy!" Marte called over his shoulder, his voice carrying easily to the other runners. "Can't even circulate his bloodline energy properly. Maybe they should send him back to begging for scraps!"
Ramon's lungs burned, his legs felt like lead, but his Will Force—that mental strength essential for bloodline cultivation—refused to let him quit. When he finally staggered across the finish line, his knees buckled and he collapsed face-first into the dirt, gasping for air like a landed fish.
Marte's laughter rang out above him. "Pathetic! How did they even let something like that through awakening?"
Before Ramon could lift his head, a cold voice cut through the mockery like a blade.
"That's enough, Marte." Jera Valen stepped between the fallen Ramon and his tormentor, his silver hair catching the sunlight. The temperature around him seemed to drop several degrees—a sign of his Elemental Ice manifestation responding to his emotions. "Save your energy for someone who might actually be intimidated by you."
Marte's face flushed red, but he took an involuntary step back as frost began forming on the ground around Jera's feet. His own Energy Core was still in early Synchronization stage, but Jera's Blood Resonance was clearly stronger. "Stay out of this, ice prince. This doesn't concern noble brats."
"Actually, it does." Jera's voice dropped to a whisper that somehow felt more threatening than a shout. Ice crystals sparkled in the air around his clenched fists—his manifestation responding to his Will Force. "You see, I have a particular dislike for bullies. Especially loud, stupid ones."
Marte's Augmented bloodline began to manifest enhanced muscle density, but he quickly reconsidered as he felt the killing intent radiating from Jera's Elemental manifestation. He muttered something under his breath and stalked away, unwilling to escalate further.
Ramon felt a strong hand grip his arm, pulling him to his feet. He looked up in surprise to see Jera offering him a genuine smile, the frost around his feet already melting as his emotions stabilized.
"Jera Valen," he said, extending his hand for a shake. "I believe we could be useful allies in this place. Bullies like Marte tend to pick on isolated targets."
Before Ramon could respond, Instructor Eric's voice boomed across the training ground.
"Enough socializing! Time to move to the mess hall. Your Energy Cores need proper nutrition to continue the Formation stage. Real Synchronization Drills begin tomorrow—today was just measuring your baseline."
---
The mess hall buzzed with conversation as exhausted recruits lined up for their evening meal. Ramon sat alone at a corner table, still processing the day's events and the strange blockage in his bloodline energy flow, when Jera approached with his tray.
"Mind if I join you?" he asked, already settling into the seat across from him. "I meant what I said about alliance. This place has a way of breaking people who try to survive alone."
Before Ramon could answer, two more figures approached their table. The massive frame of Dane Thorvald loomed over them, his expression as unreadable as ever, while Kael Stryvane swaggered up with his characteristic grin.
"Room for two more?" Kael asked, not waiting for an answer before sliding into a seat. "Figure we should stick together during Initial Conditioning."
Dane nodded once and took the remaining chair, his presence somehow making the table feel more secure.
"Since we're apparently forming some kind of unit," Jera said with dry humor, "perhaps we should properly introduce ourselves. Full disclosure—manifestation type, how your Blood Resonance is developing, and why we're here."
Dane cleared his throat, his deep voice carrying the weight of hard-earned wisdom despite his youth. "Dane Thorvald. Nineteen. Eastern farmlands—my father served in the border wars until an orc blade took half his face and most of his mobility. Been working the fields since I could lift a plow, always knowing the military was my only path out." He paused, his massive hands folding on the table. "Warded manifestation—my bloodline energy wants to create defensive barriers and reinforce structures. Blood Resonance feels... steady. Like stone. Built for protection, not glory."
Kael leaned back in his chair, radiating confidence. "Kael Stryvane, eighteen years old. Capital-born, middle-class bloodline family. Been training with blade work since I could walk—my parents made sure of that." His grin turned predatory, and Ramon noticed the air around his hands shimmer with heat distortion. "Elemental Fire manifestation. The more passionate I get, the hotter my energy burns. My Blood Resonance is... aggressive. Always wants to push forward, test limits."
All eyes turned to Jera, who set down his utensils with precise movements. "Jera Valen, seventeen. Minor noble house from the capital, sent here by my parents to 'build character' before taking a military commission." His voice was clinical, but Ramon caught something guarded beneath the surface. "Elemental Ice manifestation. My Blood Resonance is controlled, methodical. I'm here to survive long enough to return home with enough military experience to be useful to my family's political aspirations."
The honesty of his admission surprised them all. Finally, they looked to Ramon.
"Ramon Velkas," he said quietly. "Eighteen. Orphanage-raised, no family name that matters. My manifestation is..." He hesitated, then decided on partial truth. "Still unclear. My Blood Resonance feels... different. Blocked somehow. I'm here because I don't have anywhere else to go."
Kael raised his water cup in a mock toast. "To the misfits finding their paths. May we survive the Synchronization stage long enough to figure out what we're actually capable of."
Ramon expected scorn for his obvious struggles. Instead, he found a farmhand who spoke like a scholar, a noble who led with brutal honesty, and a cocky fighter who understood the cultivation process better than most. Maybe Blood Resonance wasn't just about power—maybe it was about finding others whose energy complemented your own.
---
Later that night, unable to sleep, Ramon slipped out of the dormitory and made his way to the training facilities. The indoor gymnasium was a crude stone chamber filled with rusted weights, worn sparring equipment, and mirrors dulled by years of sweat and abuse.
He began with basic exercises—punches at the heavy bag, kicks at the wooden posts. His form was raw, untrained, but there was desperate determination in every movement. His Energy Core remained frustratingly weak, the bloodline energy pathways feeling congested and unresponsive.
"Rank F, Level 1," he muttered between strikes, his knuckles beginning to bleed. "Can't even get my Blood Resonance to stabilize. Maybe they're right—maybe I don't belong here."
The silence that followed felt oppressive, until a familiar presence stirred in his mind—something that felt separate from his blocked bloodline energy pathways.
**[REFINEMENT SYSTEM ENGAGED]**
**Energy Core Status: Formation Stage - 23% Complete**
**Blood Resonance: Severely Fragmented - Multiple Blockages Detected**
**Impurity Levels: 67.3% - Critical Purification Required**
**XP Tracking: Activated**
Ramon stopped mid-punch, his fist frozen inches from the training dummy.
"You," he whispered. "What are you, exactly?"
**[SYSTEM RESPONSE]: I am the Refinement System. Your bloodline energy is compromised by accumulated impurities and blockages. I am the solution to your cultivation failure.**
Ramon's breath caught in his throat. "You can fix what's wrong with me?"
**[RESPONSE]: Affirmative. Initiating Impurity Detection and Purge Protocol. Your Energy Core contains 67.3% waste material - emotional trauma, poor technique, and inherited damage. Beginning Refinement Cycle.**
A strange warmth spread through Ramon's chest as he felt something start to change. Not his bloodline energy—that remained blocked—but something else working around it, through it.
**[XP GAINED: +3% - Refinement Cycle Initiated]**
**[IMPURITY PURGED: 0.7% - Minor Emotional Blockage Removed]**
**[ENERGY EFFICIENCY: +2% - Ambient Energy Conversion Active]**
"Why me?" he asked, watching in fascination as faint traces of energy—not his weak bloodline power, but something else entirely—began to flow around his damaged pathways.
**[RESPONSE]: Because your bloodline contains hidden legacy fragments. Because your Will Force refuses to accept limitation. Because I am designed to unlock what others cannot reach. You are not broken—you are encrypted.**
Ramon looked down at his bleeding knuckles, then back at the training equipment around him. The pain in his hands was already fading, converted into something useful by the system.
**[XP GAINED: +1% - Physical Conditioning Under Duress]**
**[AMBIENT ENERGY ABSORBED: +0.3% - Emotional Resonance Converted]**
"You're not just helping me cultivate," he said quietly. "You're changing how cultivation works for me entirely."
**[RESPONSE]: Correct. Normal cultivation relies on natural talent and gradual development. I provide XP tracking, impurity purging, and efficiency optimization. I am your path beyond conventional limitation.**
In the dim gymnasium, surrounded by the tools of war, Ramon began to understand that his journey was just beginning. His Energy Core might be damaged, his Blood Resonance fragmented, but something else was growing inside him. Something that could turn his weakness into a different kind of strength.
**[MEDITATION OPPORTUNITY DETECTED]**
**[ANCESTRAL RECALL MODE AVAILABLE - ESTIMATED XP GAIN: +8%]**
**[WARNING: LEGACY PATH FRAGMENTS MAY TRIGGER DURING DEEP MEDITATION]**
Ramon settled into a meditative pose, ready to discover what secrets his bloodline truly held.